Eliquis may be safer than Xarelto for patients with deep blood clots: Study
Ella Jeffries / beckershospitalreview - Patients taking blood thinner Eliquis had a lower risk of clinically relevant bleeding than those taking Xarelto, a recent study found. Researchers enrolled 2,760 patients with venous thrombosis — blood clots in the veins of the legs or lungs — and random…
AI Summary: A direct comparison trial found apixaban (Eliquis) produced a lower rate of clinically relevant bleeding than rivaroxaban (Xarelto) in patients treated for venous thromboembolism while preserving efficacy against clots. The results offer prescribers clear comparative safety data that could influence anticoagulant selection and guideline recommendations.
Flu vaccines didn't work that well in the US, officials find
medicalxpress - As the U.S. flu season winds down, health officials say the flu vaccine didn't work very well, with one of its worst effectiveness rates in more than a decade.
AI Summary: Health officials report this season’s influenza vaccine performed poorly, with effectiveness among the lowest in recent years. A mismatch between vaccine strains and circulating viruses reduced protection, prompting calls for strain updates ahead of the fall program. Public health leaders still urge vaccination for partial protection and to blunt severe outcomes.
A smartphone app can help men last longer in bed
newscientist - In a randomised trial, men who experience premature ejaculation benefitted from using an app to learn techniques for extending intercourse
AI Summary: A randomized trial shows a smartphone app teaching behavioral and psychological techniques significantly prolonged intercourse and improved sexual satisfaction for men with premature ejaculation. The digital program provided a non‑pharmacologic, scalable alternative to pills, offering clinicians an accessible adjunct or first‑line option for patients keen to try therapy without a prescription.
Severe COVID or Severe Flu May Raise Risk of Lung Cancer, But Vaccines Helped in Animal Tests
discovermagazine - Learn how severe respiratory illness leaves the lungs vulnerable to cancer, and how vaccines could prevent these vulnerabilities.
AI Summary: New animal and observational evidence suggests severe respiratory infections—including serious COVID‑19 and influenza—can prime lung tissue and accelerate cancer development months to years later. Vaccination appeared to blunt those effects in experimental models, highlighting prevention as a potential cancer‑risk reduction strategy and urging clinicians to watch survivors of severe infections more closely.
6 Things to Know About Stryker’s Cyberattack
Katie Adams / medcitynews - Stryker was hit by a cyberattack this week that knocked out its internal systems worldwide and caused delays to order processing and manufacturing. An Iran-linked group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the full impact remains unclear.The pos…
AI Summary: A worldwide cyberattack knocked out Stryker’s enterprise Microsoft environment, wiping access to key internal systems and forcing hospitals and manufacturers to scramble for workarounds. The company is issuing platform‑specific updates while investigators link the intrusion to a pro‑Iran actor, leaving supply chains and surgical workflows nervously improvising.
FDA Transparency Push Expands to Monitoring Safety of Vaccines and Other Regulated Products
Frank Vinluan / medcitynews - The FDA said consolidating safety reporting into a single platform, the Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS), will increase transparency and reduce costs. But like the legacy systems it replaces, AEMS reports are unverified so causation and frequency of…
AI Summary: The FDA is consolidating multiple safety reporting systems into a single public Adverse Event Monitoring System to centralize reports for drugs, biologics, vaccines, cosmetics and animal products. The move aims to improve transparency, reduce fragmented reporting, and streamline monitoring — a tidy solution if it works as promised.
Gallup poll: One in three Americans cutting back on daily expenses to pay for healthcare
fiercehealthcare - Healthcare affordability remains a significant challenge, with a third of respondents to a new Gallup poll saying they had to cut back on daily living expenses to afford care.
AI Summary: A Gallup poll reports one-third of Americans trimmed everyday spending, borrowed money or skipped essentials to pay medical bills. The findings highlight acute affordability pressures that force families to choose between care and basic needs, underscoring systemic gaps in coverage and cost control while policymakers offer the usual sympathetic nod.
Universal Health Services buys Talkspace for $835M
Ngai Yeung / endpoints - Universal Health Services, which operates hospitals and mental healthcare facilities, is acquiring Talkspace for $835 million in an area closely watched for consolidation, as virtual mental health companies grapple with falling valuations despite high dem…
AI Summary: Universal Health Services agreed to acquire Talkspace for roughly $835 million to bulk up virtual behavioral‑health capabilities and outpatient telehealth services. The deal aims to expand UHS’s behavioral care footprint and diversify revenue streams, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory review — because nothing says mental‑health innovation like a corporate merger.
Aetna to pay $117.7M to settle Medicare Advantage upcoding allegations: DOJ
fiercehealthcare - Aetna has agreed to pay $117.7 million to settle allegations that it submitted false or inaccurate diagnoses to juice Medicare Advantage payments.
AI Summary: CVS Health (via its Aetna unit) agreed to a roughly $118 million settlement with the DOJ to resolve False Claims Act allegations that inaccurate diagnosis submissions inflated Medicare Advantage payments. The deal closes a chapter on federal scrutiny of coding practices and aims to avoid years more of litigation and bad headlines.
Leapfrog ordered to remove safety grade for 5 Tenet hospitals
fiercehealthcare - A federal judge said a 2024 methodology update that adjusted the weighting of safety measures inputted for nonparticipating hospitals was "deceptive and unfair" under Florida law. Leapfrog plans to appeal, but said it will be making broader changes in rat…
AI Summary: A federal judge ruled that Leapfrog’s safety grades for five Florida hospitals—primarily Tenet-owned facilities—were based on a methodology the court deemed scientifically unsupported and potentially deceptive. The decision requires Leapfrog to take down those grades, raising fresh questions about the design, transparency and legal defensibility of high-profile hospital safety metrics.
Effects of daily multivitamin–multimineral and cocoa extract supplementation on epigenetic aging clocks in the COSMOS randomized clinical trial
Sidong Li / nature - Nature Medicine, Published online: 09 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04239-3In a prespecified ancillary analysis of the COSMOS randomized trial, supplementation with daily multivitamins, but not with cocoa extract, over the course of 2 years decreased…
AI Summary: A prespecified ancillary analysis of the COSMOS randomized trial found that daily multivitamin–multimineral (with cocoa extract) modestly slowed epigenetic aging clocks over two years. The Nature Medicine report highlights measurable shifts in biomarkers of biological aging, while noting uncertain clinical significance and the need for longer follow-up.
White House autism briefing linked to swift shifts in prescribing patterns
medicalxpress - A White House briefing in September 2025 that raised concerns about acetaminophen use during pregnancy and promoted the drug leucovorin as a potential autism treatment was followed by sharp changes in how doctors prescribed those medications nationwide, a…
AI Summary: A White House briefing warning about acetaminophen in pregnancy and promoting alternate therapies led to an immediate, measurable decline in ER acetaminophen orders for pregnant patients. The episode shows how high‑profile public messaging can swiftly reshape clinical behavior — for better or worse — and raises questions about evidence, communication and unintended consequences.
MUSC Health acquires South Carolina's largest multispecialty practice for $111M
fiercehealthcare - The deal, effective March 3, includes 126 physicians and advanced practitioners, expanding the academic system's primary care capacity.
AI Summary: MUSC Health completed a $111 million acquisition of a major South Carolina multispecialty practice, expanding its primary care and outpatient capacity. The deal consolidates regional services under the academic system’s umbrella, promising integrated care and scale efficiencies — and yes, another hospital system just got a bit larger.
Eli Lilly's new program aims to boost employer coverage of GLP-1s
Shelby Livingston / endpoints - With insurance coverage of weight loss medications stalled, Eli Lilly has developed a program to give employers another way to pay for their workers' GLP-1 treatments. The pharma giant on Thursday announced the launch of ...
AI Summary: Eli Lilly unveiled an Employer Connect program designed to help employers expand coverage for GLP‑1–class weight‑loss drugs amid stalled insurer uptake. The initiative offers new contracting and access pathways for workplaces, addressing demand while prompting debate over whether it changes the underlying benefit‑design economics. It’s helpful—if you don’t expect a revolution.
Patients with multiple chronic diseases are a looming threat to health systems' financials: Vizient
fiercehealthcare - A recent claims data analysis shows the 11% of people with multiple chronic conditions are behind 52% of inpatient admissions and about a third of outpatient visits. Their projected increases and unfavorable payer mix spell trouble for health systems' bot…
AI Summary: A Vizient analysis shows roughly 11% of the U.S. population accounts for about 52% of hospital admissions, spotlighting how patients with multiple chronic conditions consume disproportionate inpatient resources. The report warns this concentration strains hospital finances and operational capacity, and calls for targeted care models to manage high‑need populations more efficiently.
How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health
medicalxpress - Most of America "springs forward" Sunday for daylight saving time. Losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day; it also could harm your health.
AI Summary: The clock change that robs people of an hour of sleep is back, and so are the predictable health hiccups: disrupted circadian rhythm, deeper sleep loss and more migraine flare‑ups. Experts warn even a single lost hour can nudge vulnerable people toward worse sleep, mood and short‑term cardiovascular risk — so yes, your crankiness is data‑backed.
Elizabeth McKenna: New Cancer Grand Challenges Teams Announced
oncodaily - Elizabeth McKenna, Executive Editor of Cancer Discovery, shared a post on X: “The new Cancer Grand Challenges teams have just been announced! Read about the teams tackling cancer avoidance, mechanisms […]
AI Summary: Global funders announced new Cancer Grand Challenges awards, backing five international teams with large, high‑risk grants to pursue transformative cancer science. The initiative aims to accelerate unconventional, high‑reward projects and foster cross‑disciplinary collaboration — essentially underwriting audacity in hopes that at least one risky bet pays off.
ASCO GU 2026 Highlights: Belzutifan + Lenvatinib and Pembrolizumab in RCC – IUCS
oncodaily - International Urology Cancer Summit shared a post on LinkedIn: “IUCS Journal Club – Highlights from ASCO GU 2026: Targeting HIF-2α in RCC. This Journal Club session reviews the data from […]
AI Summary: At ASCO GU, investigators showcased belzutifan‑based combinations for renal cell carcinoma, including belzutifan with lenvatinib and perioperative belzutifan plus pembrolizumab. Data presented indicate these HIF‑2α‑targeted regimens can extend disease‑free intervals in high‑risk clear‑cell RCC, prompting interest in integrating hypoxia‑axis inhibitors into multimodal kidney‑cancer care.
CART19-BE-02 trial: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond – Resonance
oncodaily - ALRCaN presents “CART19-BE-02 trial: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond—Implementing a Hospital-Based CAR T Program and Integrating It into the Spanish NHS” with Dr. Valentín Ortiz-Maldonado. “Dear friends and colleagues, […]
AI Summary: Bereaved relatives delivered searing final testimonies as the Covid inquiry wound up four years of public hearings, recounting loved ones who died alone and demanding answers. Chair Baroness Heather Hallett defended the process and its roughly £200 million price tag as necessary to finish the work, despite public frustration and political scrutiny.
Telehealth growth hasn’t increased rural behavioral healthcare access: Study
Giles Bruce / beckershospitalreview - The rise in telemedicine over the past several years hasn’t translated to more behavioral healthcare access in rural areas, according to a March 5 study in JAMA Network Open. Researchers from Boston-based Harvard Medical School and Providence, R.I.-based …
AI Summary: A new study finds the rapid expansion of telemedicine did not meaningfully improve access to behavioral health services in rural areas. Persistent barriers—workforce shortages, broadband gaps, and reimbursement limits—keep telehealth from being the miracle fix some hoped for. Turns out, high-speed internet isn’t a therapist.